WHAT ARE THE COMMANDS OF CHRIST? FORWARDED BY ERASMUS OF AMERICA - FEB. 27, 2014

WHAT ARE THE COMMANDS OF CHRIST? FORWARDED BY ERASMUS OF AMERICA - FEB. 27, 2014           

What are the commands of Christ? | Institute in Basic Life Principles

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Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Keeping the commands of Jesus begins with recognizing what they are.

 

What are the commands of Christ?

49 Commands of Christ

words to live by

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Keeping the commands of Jesus begins with recognizing what they are. Following is a collection of 49 of Jesus’ commands. As you read through them, ask God to help you observe these words, apply them, and faithfully follow them throughout your lifetime.

• Repent

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

• Follow Me

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

• Rejoice

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12).

• Let Your Light Shine

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

• Honor God’s Law

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

• Be Reconciled

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23–25).

• Do Not Lust

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:28–30).

• Keep Your Word

“Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37).

• Go the Second Mile

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:38–42).

• Love Your Enemies

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:44–46).

• Be Perfect

“If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:46–48).

• Practice Secret Disciplines

“. . . When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. . . . When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. . . . When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:1–18).

• Lay Up Treasures

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19–21).

• Seek God’s Kingdom

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

• Judge Not

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:1–3).

• Do Not Cast Pearls

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6).

• Ask, Seek, Knock

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8).

• Do Unto Others

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

• Choose the Narrow Way

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).

• Beware of False Prophets

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:15–16).

• Pray for Laborers

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).

• Be Wise as Serpents

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

• Fear Not

“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

• Hear God’s Voice

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).

• Take My Yoke

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

• Honor Your Parents

“For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death” (Matthew 15:4).

• Beware of Leaven

“Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6).

• Deny Yourself

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:23–25).

• Despise Not Little Ones

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

• Go to Offenders

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican” (Matthew 18:15–17).

• Beware of Covetousness

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).

• Forgive Offenders

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–22).

• Honor Marriage

“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:4–6).

• Be a Servant

“. . . Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26–28).

• Be a House of Prayer

“It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer . . . ” (Matthew 21:13).

• Ask in Faith

“Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea: it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:21–22).

• Bring In the Poor

“Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12–14).

• Render to Caesar

“Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:19–21).

• Love the Lord

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38).

• Love Your Neighbor

“And the second [commandment] is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:39–40).

• Await My Return

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:42–44).

• Take, Eat, and Drink

“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28).

• Be Born Again

“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:5–7).

• Keep My Commandments

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

• Watch and Pray

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

• Feed My Sheep

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–16).

• Baptize My Disciples

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

• Receive God’s Power

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

• Make Disciples

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19–20).

This material is adapted from the Commands of Christ Pocket Guide

     Listed in the commands of Jesus above is included to beware of false prophets. In Revelation 2:6 it says "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I (Jesus) also hate."And in Revelation 2:15 Jesus further condemns the deeds and teachings of this Antichrist movement of this key false teacher and prophet that Jesus Christ hates both in deeds and teachings that subvert Christians who listen to this heresy he pushes. Quoting: "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate. This doctrine of the Nicolaitans is reported on in http://www.lightsource.com/ministry/refuel-with-rick/articles/who-were-the-nicolaitans-and-what-was-their-doctrine-and-deeds--14510.htmls . It is also reported on in http://www.wordoftruthradio.com/questions/38.html which is quoted below.  Having read the early Christian writings on the teaching of the Nicolaitans, a capsule version of it is you only have to intellectually believe in Christianity and not bother to do any of the good works Jesus taught for Christians who now claimed to be saved. Christianity required nothing morally of you to be saved. Christianity was a license to sin and so you could freely sin without losing your salvation. Therefore, you could sexually play around, lie, steal, etc. and not worry about consequences with God. There were no commandments binding on you in Christianity and any religious laws of God had all been overthrown by Jesus Christ in His New Covenant. Also, Christianity did not have any defined concepts of sin so you could do anything that used to be called a sin in the Old Testament and not worry about punishment before God now for what prior was called sin. Read the reports at the above links for more information on the Nicolaitan heresy and how it has infected much of current Christianity in our age.

      Early Christianity prayed for the forgiveness of Christians who after conversion had still led immoral and evil lives. However, they had to repent (reform their ways) or else early Christianity taught that they could even lose their salvation for loving evil instead of good in their lives. Jesus in parables taught of trees (symbolically people) that bear only bad fruit (bad works) instead of good fruit (good works) would be finally chopped down in the end and then burned in the fire for the eternally damned.

     And in Revelation 2:16 Jesus tells these Nicolaitans to abandon these false teachings and false deeds and claiming this is Christianity or else Jesus warns, "Repent; or else I(Jesus) will come unto thee quickly, and fight against them (Nicolaitans calling themselves Christians) with the sword of my mouth." Jesus will condemn and send them  to hell in judgment if they do not repent of their heresy intended to infect Christianity.

What is the Nicolaitan spirit or doctrine? Who are they? (Revelation 2:6 & 15)

Nicolaitans: One of the heretical sects that plagued the churches at Ephesus and at Pergamum, and perhaps elsewhere. Irenaeus identifies the Nicolaitans as a Gnostic sect: “John, the disciple of the Lord, preaches this faith (the deity of Christ), and seeks, by the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men, and a long time previously by those termed Nicolaitans, who are an offset of that “knowledge” falsely so called, that he might confound them, and persuade them that there is but one God, who made all things by His Word” (see Irenaeus Against Heresies iii 11.  1; ANF vol. 1, p. 426) There is also historical evidence of a Gnostic sect called Nitolaitans a century or so later. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans appears to have been a form of antinomianism. (Antinomianism: A belief that is based upon a recognition of the mercy of God as the ground of salvation, but it makes the fatal mistake that man can freely partake in sin because the Law of God is no longer binding. It held the truth on the gratuitous reckoning of righteousness; but supposed that a mere intellectual “belief” in this truth had a saving power. The Apostle James refuted this error in James 2:19 with the admonition, "The devils also believe, and tremble"; reminding us that true faith is an active principle which works by love and it goes beyond a profession of belief. "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20) The Bible teaches us that salvation is a free gift, based upon God's grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) However, the very next verse tells us that "we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)  True faith produce action, as well as a desire for holiness and obedience. (1 John 3:18, Titus 2:11-15, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Revelation 14:12) Nicolaitans of the 2nd century seem to have continued and extended the views of the 1st century adherents, holding to the freedom of the flesh and sin, and teaching that the deeds of the flesh had no effect upon the health of the soul and consequently no relation to salvation. On the other hand, the Bible teaches that Christians are supposed to "die" to sin and the deeds of our "flesh": "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1-2)  "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." (Romans 6:11-13) Today, the doctrine is now largely taught that the gospel of Christ has made God's law of no effect: that by “believing” we are released from the necessity of being doers of the Word. But this is the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which Christ so unsparingly condemned in the book of Revelation.  "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:22) --Thanks to George Blumenschein for answering to this question

    The Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament and while we live under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, still we learn basic lessons of God from also the Old Testament. We were not able to save ourselves by our own merit under the terms of the Old Testament and 10 Commandments of God. Jesus came with the mercy clause of God so we could be saved while imperfect on earth. But Jesus still said that we had to be "reborn" in character in order to live for eternity with God the Father. This means we now love good instead of evil. We are saved by grace, not works, but we don't abandon doing good works once converted to Jesus Christ and Christianity. As Jesus taught parables on this, His servants on earth will be rewarded for their good works on earth done in the right spirit. And early Christianity taught that the formal 10 Commandments had been reduced to two by the Two Foundational Commandments given by Jesus Christ to love God totally and love your neighbor as yourself. And early Christianity then illustrated by the Moral Code of God born into us when born on earth, we by following these two foundational commandments Jesus commanded us to do, we still by the natural law we had in our souls knew that if we loved our neighbor, we did not lie to them, steal from them, and the list goes on until the 10 original formal Commandments are all covered when also we love God totally as shown by our life we live. The Christians were not under the Old Covenant of the Children of Israel, so we did not have to have our men be circumcised, we did not have to obey and be bound by the over 600 ordinances of Judaism back in Old Testament days. The Old Testament formal carnal law was nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ. However, with the two Foundational Commandments Jesus had given us to uphold as Christians, we still end up with the high moral standards represented by the original 10 Commandments and we end up with many more applications of these Two Foundational Commandments of Jesus Christ as first Christianity called them in their formal Christian writings. The New Testament commands Christians to assemble together regularly to worship God as a separate commandment from the original 10 Commandments. We are to hold Holy Communion with the bread and wine on a regular basis which was not commanded in the original 10 Commandments. We are under a New Covenant through Jesus Christ, not the Old Covenant of Moses and the prophets, but the Old Testament is a teacher of the moral standards and character of God and not to be ignored now that we are Christians. The Old Testament helps us better to understand the New Testament and what we are really taught in the New Testament by Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Also, Jesus frequently used Old Testament references as teaching points for the Christianity that He was teaching now and indicated that all the Old Testament was reliable history including Genesis and later books of the Old Testament.

     As early Christianity taught and wrote in their Christian books, the Children of Israel in Egypt had become so carnal in heart that God had to give them a formal written minimum standard of moral standards from God for them to live by. This was called the 10 Commandments given by Moses to the Children of Israel. But before this time, early man such as Noah and Abraham already knew in their hearts the moral standards of God and so did not need a formal written 10 Commandments to guide the way they would or should live on earth. We don't have to hold Temple worship now as they had in the Old Testament, but we appreciate more what Christianity stands for today when we understand the Temple worship of earlier followers of God before Jesus Christ came. 

     And the Bible commands you to raise your children in the ways and knowledge of the Lord. How is this possible without studying the Old and New Testament of the Bible? We raise our children in the Lord by showing them what the Bible taught and also our own lives are supposed to be teaching examples of the Gospel and how mankind should live on earth. 

      One should never be impressed by those who are clever in their words but rather be  impressed by those who are sound in their words they show to you and others. As the Bible teaches, he who walks among wise men becomes a wise man himself. Of course, this applies equally to women also! Unsound concepts believed in by the public betrays their God-given potential to be a great people before God. Teach a people great and sound concepts they believe in and they and their nation will be able to rise to great heights as a great nation and people before God. Show me who the heroes are of any people and I will know if they are likely to become a great people or not. What you respect shows the true character within you whether great, average, or a character not likely to ever be much more than a warm body on earth until dead! God gives us great potential to be a great people before God and man on earth. Why throw away this great God-given potential by teaching immorality instead of morality, cheap worthless concepts to run society by instead of  great and powerful concepts to run society by, and by hating instead of listening to God who is so colossally brilliant and loves to show us the smart and brilliant answers that will bless our lives on earth?

     I find that true science and the true Bible are both on the side of truth and do not contradict each other! Learning how to think scientifically and how to think with the moral philosophy taught in the Bible should make you a great person and potentially even a genius in life if you apply yourself seriously.      

      As a famous 19th Century French writer once commented on America, "America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, then it will cease to be great!"

      People have short memories. Orders by this Friday over our website for the first 50 people will get a free sample of two large seeds which come from a tree which has been nicknamed "The Tree Of Life" because people are apparently getting cured of all sorts of incredible ailments which are life threatening by it. If orders sent by mail, Friday postal date will still make your eligible for the 2 large seeds free bonus offer with any paid for order over our website or else sent in by mail. We also will tell you how to get large packages of these seeds and tell you how others have used them. We also tell you how to fast grow these trees if you want them for yourself. After the 50 seed offer is over, we still will send out information sheets how to get these seeds from what has been nicknamed "The Tree Of Life" by people using these seeds for themselves. We make no formal claims at this time but the accounts we have been hearing on these seeds have impressed us where we will be making lots of private tests with them for our own records. In the meantime, we offer these seeds for growing a special tree and make no formal health claims for the seeds until properly tested by standard scientific standards even the FDA would have to approve! After Friday, you can still send us an email asking for information on these seeds and we will send you information on them and how to get them. Also, there is an oil extract of these seeds which has generated spectacular reports of results but we await scientific verification before we can say too much! But the two free sample seeds through Friday is sent to you automatically if you place an order by Friday for any of our regular products we sell on our website or else our Omni Law Loan Program all of which is to help finance our Omni Law Drive. You can look on our website for a copy of the Omni Law.

      And don't forget to back John at Nesara News with some money for contributions as it appears someone wants to stop his news blog because he has been exposing too many truths and scandals in America the power elite did not want you the American people to see or know about! They have tried to cut off his money so he can't run this important blog for America. When the Omni Law is passed, we will see this matter is investigated and if it traces back to Obama or other corrupt sources in Wash., D.C., grand juries will criminally indict the guilty parties behind blocking the money that is supposed to come to him monthly from Google ad revenues for the two ads or so on his blog at all times!

      Pass this report around in America and wake up America to the truth! Again our website is www.fastboomamericaneconomy.com Our email address is fastboomamericaneconomy.com@gmail;.com Our mailing address for orders sent in by mail instead of through our website is NIFI, P.O. Box 1465, Seneca, SC 29679 . Make checks, etc. out to NIFI and tell us whether the payment is for one of our products or else our Omni Loan Loan Program. As one of the letters we received today stated, her computer was not working right and so she wrote to us instead of sending an email to us. We understand and try to make ourselves available for all the people.

     Yours For God And Country, Erasmus Of America (pen name for that leader who admits that he is a Christian leader in America! Not "politically correct" but as Jesus said, he who is ashamed of Jesus before men, Jesus will be ashamed of before God the Father!)